UPDATE: Congratulations to Jamie V. of Abbotsford who won our draw for a gift card at the Sportsmen’s Tradeshow last weekend. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to say hi - it was great to meet so many people enthusiastic about conservation in BC! The BC Boat and Sportsmen’s Show is happening March 3, 4, 5 at Tradex in Abbotsford. HCTF will be at booth #514 to talk about some of the amazing conservation projects and programs that are funded through surcharges on fishing and hunting licences. Hope to see you at the show!

White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease responsible for the death of millions of bats in eastern North America, has moved to the west coast and was confirmed in Washington State in 2016. This is very worrisome for the health of bat populations in British Columbia, with near 100% mortality for some species of bats exposed to the fungus. Although devastating for bats, WNS does not affect humans. The BC Community Bat Program in collaboration with the BC government is requesting the public’s help in monitoring the spread of this disease. “We knew this deadly fungus was moving westward across North America” says Mandy Kellner, Coordinator of the BC Community Bat Program, “but we thought we had many years to prepare”. Instead, the disease was confirmed near Seattle last March, and the group is gearing up to look for it in BC this winter. The typical first sign of this disease is bats flying during the winter, an unusual sighting at a time of year when bats are hibernating. Another sign of the presence of WNS is the appearance of dead bats as they succumb to the effects of WNS. “We are encouraging the public to report dead bats or...

Attention teachers - the application deadline for GO Grants is February 15 th . Apply now for a grant to help get your class outside this spring, learning about nature in nature! Educators can apply for up to $600/class or $3500/school to pay for bus transportation, project materials, and leader/program fees for outdoor environmental learning experiences – full grant criteria and links to application forms are available here . For more information, contact HCTF Education at 250-940-9786 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are thrilled to be starting 2017 with a new staff member! Christina Waddle has joined HCTF as our Conservation Specialist. This is a new position at HCTF, created to help administer our growing investments in conservation lands management, as well as our acquisition and fisheries operations & maintenance granting programs. Christina has a wealth of experience in both administration and conservation lands management. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree with the University of Manitoba in 2001. Following graduation, she moved to Victoria and began working for The Land Conservancy of BC in various positions, eventually as Regional Manager for Vancouver Island. More recently, she spent 5 years with the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada in administrative roles. Welcome Christina!